Alrighty, for reference, additionally, players that play Canadian Major Junior hockey (that is, QMJHL, OHL, WHL) are not eligible for the NCAA. In rare instances, NCAA players can go to juniors though (see: Keith, Duncan; Oleksiak, Jamie). The NCAA believes that the stipend that junior players receive counts as "payment" and thus eliminates their NCAA eligibility. Junior 'A' programs though are a good stepping stone for NCAA players (USHL, OJHL, BCHL, etc.) however.

mikey287 wrote:Sidebar to the discussion, but on topic to the thread. I've dug up some footage of this kid, I'm mildly impressed. Something I haven't really said or felt with other undrafted free agents that we've tried recently (or came close to, like that Russian kid from the USHL from last year). I like his skating, he has that "pro burst", he works really well on his edges, protects the puck pretty well, he'll initiate some contact, pretty good release, can get the puck up in a hurry, definitely seems like a shooter...not sure about his vision, seems to be a bit of a DIYer...I want to hear from a couple contacts on the kid and watch a little more of whatever I can find, but I'm not scoffing at this kid so quickly like some of the others...

Good, because it could have just been a "great day" for him, but there wasn't another player on the ice during the final day scrimmage that popped off the ice more visually.

He was all around the net with opportunities and showed speed, hands and tenacity. The other forwards on the ice that day all looked slow in comparison except for Marcantuoni (sp?).

He has speed, hands, decent shot and seemed to see the ice well. When I looked at my sheet and saw the FAs on it, the only two I thought were worth a shot were Megna and the big D-man.

mikey287 wrote:Sidebar to the discussion, but on topic to the thread. I've dug up some footage of this kid, I'm mildly impressed. Something I haven't really said or felt with other undrafted free agents that we've tried recently (or came close to, like that Russian kid from the USHL from last year). I like his skating, he has that "pro burst", he works really well on his edges, protects the puck pretty well, he'll initiate some contact, pretty good release, can get the puck up in a hurry, definitely seems like a shooter...not sure about his vision, seems to be a bit of a DIYer...I want to hear from a couple contacts on the kid and watch a little more of whatever I can find, but I'm not scoffing at this kid so quickly like some of the others...

Thanks Mikey - I'd definately be interested in hearing what your contacts have to say...

I just didn't notice him during development camp for the most part. I just watch what's going on and look for people to stand out, good or bad. On the rare occasions I do try to focus in on a specific player, it's usually a higher profile prospect, not an undrafted rookie free agent invite. I'm not saying the signing is good or bad. I've only seen him skate a whopping 5 times, and nothing stood out good or bad in that time.

On one hand, I'm not surprised they added another forward, given the lack of prospects there and all of the departures from Wilkes Barre. On the other, I was a little surprised to see them hand out what figures to be their last contract; as others mentioned, assuming the remaining RFAs (who were all qualified as far as I know) re-sign and Harrington is returned to juniors, they are at 50, which is the max.

I'm choosing to believe this is just the second step towards getting Andrej Sustr signed after inviting him to camp a few weeks back. Those two, along with Pens prospect Josh Archibald, played for the University of Omaha-Nebraska last season.

My little pint-sized scouting report was more or less confirmed by people that see him all the time. Adding to my "DIYer" remark, he does hold the puck a little too long and his decision-making has come into question a bit at times. Like many goal scorers, he can disappear through stretches and be virtually unnoticeable. This is one of the better and more creative free agent signings we've made (50% pro-Megna, 50% indictment of our scouting staff). Was coveted by about 1/4 or 1/3 of the NHL, narrowed it down to Pittsburgh, Winnipeg and Boston...chose Pittsburgh. The organization likely gave him reason to believe that he could be a prime position sooner rather than later...though Winnipeg could also offer that, so we must have done something to make him come here...(in addition to being teammates with Josh Archibald).

I thought having seen some of these kids live here in town from time to time that I should comment.

It really feels like the Pens are trying to build connections with the Nebraska-Omaha program. Their recently hired coach Dean Blais (I think he was hired a year or two ago) is held in very high esteem and the team is one of the better conditioned and better rush teams in their league. It's also no secret that Bill Guerin has spent some time here towards the end of last season. There is a vibe that the Pens' scouting presence has increased around here.

Not to mention it might be convenient that the Omaha Lancers, formerly owned by Mario, are a hop and a skip away. I don't know Lemieux's relationship to that team these days, but there is a connection there as well.

Just saw the item on the Main Site about him. He led WBS in preseason with 3 goals in 3 games.

Not sure exactly, but I have a good feeling about him. I think his skils translate to the structured flow of the the Pro game and I hope that playing with better players will mean he loses the "do it yourself" tendencies. I looked all over the WBS site and can't see anywhere that they list the current roster.

The Snapshot wrote:Just saw the item on the Main Site about him. He led WBS in preseason with 3 goals in 3 games.

Not sure exactly, but I have a good feeling about him. I think his skils translate to the structured flow of the the Pro game and I hope that playing with better players will mean he loses the "do it yourself" tendencies. I looked all over the WBS site and can't see anywhere that they list the current roster.

He is very intriguing.

I listened to a couple of the WBS preseason games on the internet. I think Megna was centering a line with Brian Gibbons and I can't remember who the third forward was. He also play some point on the PP. He scored three goals, and by listening to the games it sounds like he could have scored another 2 or 3 based on the chances he had. They interviewed Tom Fitzgerald at intermission during one of the games and he spoke highly of Megna's hockey IQ, work ethic, and skill level. Lets see what he does in the regular season AHL games before we get too excited.